Improved paddle-wheel



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES MERKEL, OF MOUNT PLEASANT, lOWA.

IMPROVED PADDLE-WHEEL.

Specication forming part of Letters Patent No. 56,973., dated August 7,1866.

To all iff/mm it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES MERKEL, of Mount Pleasant, in the county ofHenry and State of Iowa, have invented a new and Improved Paddle-Wheel;and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,making a part of this specification, in whichbigure l is a perspectiveview of my improved wheel, showing a portion of the outer case removedto expose the interior of the wheel. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of thewheel arranged within the wheel-house. Fig. 3 is a view of the cam foroperating the paddle-boards.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the severalgures.

This invention consists in a paddle-wheel which is so constructed thatthe paddles will be projected beyond the circumference of a rotatingcylinder as the buckets successively descend into the water, and arethen drawn within said cylinder as they rise out of the water, thuspreventing the lifting of the water, and a consequent loss of power, aswill be herein after described.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand my invention, I willdescribe its construction and operation.

In the accompanying drawings, H H represent two circular heads, whichmay be made up of wood-work in any suitable manner, and secured togetherby means of transverse timbers and a cylindrical casing, G.

1f desirable, the drum may be made of metal wholly 5 or it may becomposed chieiiy of wood strengthened by metal braces.

On the inside of each headH a series of radial arms, B C, are rigidlysecured, all of which radiate from a central shaft, S, which is rigidlybolted to the inner ends of the said arms by means of iianges andscrew-bolts in any suitable manner.

The radial arms B C are arranged upon the inside surfaces of the heads HH in pairs, in such relation to each other that they form parallelguides or radial grooves for receiving and guiding the paddle-boards PP, and also the arms A A, to which these boards are secured, as shown inFig. l.

Directly opposite the outer ends of the several paddle-boards P P oblongslots F F are made through the cylinder G, which slots are of sufficientlength and width to allow their respective paddles to be forced throughthem and exposed for a considerable distance beyond the circumference ofthe cylinder.

Near the inner ends of the paddle-arms A A transverse rods L L are usedfor the purpose of tying these arms together, also for the purpose ofserving as bearings for anti-friction rollers R R, which are arranged outhat side of the wheel which `has a central opening through it, as shownin Fig. 1. When the paddles P P are all drawn within the circumferenceof the wheel the axes of all the anti-friction wheels R E are concentricto the axis of the wheel-shaft S.

The opening which is through the center of the circular headH (shown inFig. ll) is of sufiicient diameter to admit within it the camplate,(shown in Fig. 3,) which has a cam-slot, O, in that face which comesnext the paddlearms AA. This cam-plateMl1as a hole through its center,through which the shaft S passes loosely, and it is secured rigidly tothe side of the vessel by means of bolts Y Y. `(Shown in Fig. 2.) y

The friction-wheels R R are all adjusted within the cam-slot O O, andthey follow the curve of this slot as the wheel is turned.

It will be seen, by reference to Fig. 3, that the upper portion of theslot O is concentric to the axis of the central hole through the plateM, and that the lower portion of this slot is concentric to a pointwhich is below said hole, the curve being of much shorter radius thanthe curve described from the center of the said hole. As thefriction-wheels on .the inner paddle-arms are all compelled to followthis cam-slot whenV the paddle-wheel is rotated, those paddles therollers R It of which are in the eccentric portion of the slot O`will bethrust out beyond the circumference of the wheel, and those paddleswhich are acted upon by the slot of greatest diameter will be drawnwithin the circumference of the wheel, and held in this condition untilthey are acted upon by the slot of smallest diameter, when they will bethrust out beyond the circumference of the wheel, and thus caused to actupon the water and propel the vessel. As the paddles suor cessivelyapproach the water they are suddenly thrust out beyond the circumferenceof the closed drum, and in this condition they act upon the Water. Asthe paddles successively commence to leave the Water, and before anylifting-action can take place, the paddles are draWnWithin thecircumference of the drum. As the drum must be slotted to allow thepaddles to operate as above set forth, this drum will take in Water; butto prevent any serious loss of power fromvthis cause I shall ll up thespaces Within this drum in such manner that the drum Will take in verylittle Water.

In Fig. 2 I have represented the housing or paddle-Wheel box of onewheel. This may be constructed in any of the Well-knownways, and, ifdesirable, a cam-plate, similar to that shown in Fig. 3, may be appliedto the outer end of this housing, so as to operate upon friction-rollersapplied to the outer'arms of the paddles, as described, for the innerside of the Wheel.

In Fig. l, letter X indicates a section of the filling which is betweenthe guide-arms of the paddle-boards to exclude Water from the interiorot' the Wheel-casing.

If desirable, watertight apartments may be merged in the Water as Whenpartially subl merged.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is l The combination of the stationarycam-plate M, anti-friction rollers R R, and radially-reciprocatingpaddles with a drum, H G, having the spaces between the paddles filled,and all constructed and arranged to operate substantially as described.

JAMES MERKEL.

